Billboard Hot 20 – Week of June 25, 2016

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Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality.

Original Version
1. Drake ft. WizKid and Kyla – “One Dance”
2. Desiigner – “Panda”
3. Justin Timberlake – “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”
4. The Chainsmokers ft. Daya – “Don’t Let Me Down”
5. Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign – “Work From Home”
6. Lukas Graham – “7 Years”
7. Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – “This Is What You Came For”
8. Mike Posner – “I Took a Pill in Ibiza”
9. Rihanna – “Needed Me”
10. P!nk – “Just Like Fire”
11. Kent Jones – “Don’t Mind”
12. Rihanna ft. Drake – “Work”
13. Sia ft. Sean Paul – “Cheap Thrills”
14. Ariana Grande – “Dangerous Woman”
15. twenty one pilots – “Ride”
16. Zara Larsson & MNEK – “Never Forget You”
17. Florida Georgia Line – “H.O.L.Y.”
18. DJ Khaled ft. Drake – “For Free”
19. Justin Bieber – “Love Yourself”
20. Zayn – “Pillowtalk”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Cheap Thrills
2. Work From Home
3. Work
4. I Took a Pill in Ibiza
5. Dangerous Woman
6. Never Forget You
7. Ride
8. Can’t Stop the Feeling
9. Needed Me
10. Love Yourself
11. One Dance
12. Don’t Let Me Down
13. This Is What You Came For
14. For Free
15. Just Like Fire
16. Panda
17. Pillowtalk
18. 7 Years
19. Don’t Mind
20. H.O.LY.

Billboard Hot 20 – Week of June 18, 2016

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Longtime readers of my blog may know that I used to watch VH1’s and Fuse’s Top 20 Countdowns and then post my rearranged order of those lists. But apparently countdown shows are no longer a thing. But I still like to keep up with current music, so I have decided to check the Billboard Hot 100 each week and then rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality.

Original Version
1. Drake ft. WizKid and Kyla – “One Dance”
2. Desiigner – “Panda”
3. Justin Timberlake – “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”
4. Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign – “Work from Home”
5. The Chainsmokers ft. Daya – “Don’t Let Me Down”
6. Lukas Graham – “7 Years”
7. Mike Posner – “I Took a Pill in Ibiza”
8. Rihanna – “Needed Me”
9. Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – “This is What You Came For”
10. P!nk – “Just Like Fire”
11. Ariana Grande – “Dangerous Woman”
12. Rihanna ft. Drake – “Work”
13. Kent Jones – “Don’t Mind”
14. Zara Larsson & MNEK – “Never Forget You”
15. Zayn – “Pillowtalk”
16. Justin Bieber – “Love Yourself”
17. DNCE – “Cake by the Ocean”
18. twenty one pilots – “Stressed Out”
19. Sia ft. Sean Paul – “Cheap Thrills”
20. Flo Rida – “My House”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Cheap Thrills
2. Work from Home
3. Work
4. I Took a Pill in Ibiza
5. Dangerous Woman
6. Never Forget You
7. Can’t Stop the Feeling!
8. Stressed Out
9. Needed Me
10. Love Yourself
11. One Dance
12. My House
13. Don’t Let Me Down
14. This is What You Came For
15. Just Like Fire
16. Panda
17. Pillowtalk
18. Cake by the Ocean
19. 7 Years
20. Don’t Mind

SNL November 7, 2015 Recap: Donald Trump/Sia

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SNL: Sia, Kate McKinnon (CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot)

It is hard to recommend this episode. Some of it was well-written, but Trump’s presence soured just about everything.

This review was originally posted on Starpulse in November 2015.

Donald Trump might be a bigot, or he might just be shamelessly aping the rhetoric of bigots to win over their support. Which is worse? Either way, one would assume he is a terrible fit to host a comedy show that many believe has the responsibility of holding the powerful accountable. Thus, the petitions to reverse the Trump booking or calls to disrupt the episode have made for one of the most controversial episodes in decades before it has even aired. In a way, Trump’s appearance actually turning out to be a funny episode would be troublesome, because of the fear that it could legitimize a rather objectionable person. Politics (or cynically misshapen facsimile of politics) aside, Trump is also a terrible actor. That issue can be overcome with strong writing, which this episode features plenty of, but it is hard to fully embrace it when Trump’s mere presence is so hard to digest.

Democratic Candidates Forum – The latest not-really-a-debate in the 2016 election cycle is used as fodder for a not-really-a-fully-formed-sketch. While it lacks in the inspired premise department, it does allow Kate McKinnon and Larry David plenty of room to mess around with their already beloved Hillary and Bernie impressions. They both find new notes in their expected beats. This is not an all-time high, but there is plenty left worth exploring in these roles. Structurally, good on this sketch for keeping up with the gag of uncomfortable close-ups of black people. B

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SNL Recap January 17, 2015: Kevin Hart/Sia

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SNL: Sia, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon (CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot)

This review was originally posted on Starpulse in January 2015.

The recurring sketch-lite Season 40 had its most original episode yet for the first show of 2015, with not a single repeat bit or character, save for Kate McKinnon’s Justin Bieber impression.  The best seasons tend to have a decent mix of recurring and original material, so while it is nice to see the “SNL” team coming up with plenty of fresh ideas, they might be wearing themselves too much.  Luckily, Kevin Hart was on hand to host for the second time, and there are not too many other comedians who can keep the energy level up like he can, and he did not disappoint in that department.  Meanwhile, Sia provided the music, and as is her m.o., she brought out some guest accompaniment while she kept her face covered.

Martin Luther King – This visit from a ghostly MLK was a clever idea for running down how decades of progress or lack thereof may not have been exactly what the civil rights leader envisioned.  Unfortunately, Kenan Thompson’s portrayal was not exactly as inspirational as the person he was playing.  It is hard to say if a different actor could have pulled this off much better, as the problems lay mainly in the writing.  This Dr. King, unlike the real deal, was not very imaginative about how the future might be different from his time.  He could have been any random black guy from the 60’s.  Pointing out how times have changed is usually good for a few solid chuckles, as this was, but it could have been more specific. B-

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